TPT Richards Bay has a history spanning almost 40 years since the first commercial ship docked at port in 1976 for South Africa to export coal to the world. The terminal now exports over 30 varied commodities from magnetite to ferrochrome, woodchips to aluminium and steel. This mainly to the United Kingdom, United States of America, India, the Middle and Far East and Pacific Rim countries like China and Japan. Over 15 imported commodities including sulphur, coking coal and alumina go through the port annually from countries like Australia, Canada and West African countries like Togo.

The terminal employs just over 1000 employees. A large percentage of dry bulk commodities are handled via a computer-controlled network of conveyor belts extending 40 kilometers to seven harbour bound industries. These belts transport cargo between the quayside and the respective manufacturers.

Break bulk cargo on the other hand, is a skip-loading operation that due to the density of the commodities, chiefly relies on road motor transport (RMT) to and from the point of trade. Billions have been set aside for purchasing Richards Bay equipment and capacity creation projects over the next 6 years (2013 – 2019).